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Mik3y
Starlite Member
Username: Mik3y
| | Posted on Friday, March 16, 2007 - 06:19 pm: | 
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Ok so i'm studying Australian politics at university, and i have little to any faith at all in democracy. I decided to go back to the very roots of democracy... the early greeks. The idea of democracy is taught today as a community project you have a heirarchy but each person has a position of power. Basicaly everyone gets a say. Today our say is simply a vote. We get to vote for a head of state and a prime minister in Australia. In America you get to vote for a president and i dont know who else. But basicaly the community involvment and delegation of power is given to the people via voting. Just what choice did people really have in America.. Bush or Kerry..Bush or Algore. What happens when a large number of people are not happy with the character or policies of either government? Do they vote for whom ever, donkey vote, or don't vote at all [as the U.s hasn't made voting compulsary] In Australia we have two major parties Liberal and Labour. We also have a shooters party, a green party, a chrisitan democrats, a unity party..and a few others. Basicaly these smaller parties accept defeat in that they can never be head of parliment and instead chose to act as a bully by forcing questions into parliment which otherwise would not be answered or addressed. Many of these parties do not offer policies for the general public but rather focus around the issue they see of importance. i.e shooters party want the right to bear arms, greens focus their efforts on saving the trees and legalising drugs in an ironic effort to prevent the mis-use of them. So none of these smaller parties are worth heading into parliment and will never get enough votes. They might win a seat or two but that is all. So a voter is limited to vote for either labour or liberal. In the past this vague democracy actually worked alot better. Liberal and labour did not stand side by side, many policies differed and motivation and the way issues were approached spent alot more time in debate. Today however both parties a so similar our voting system has been deemed a "double edge sword". It is compulsary to vote in Australia if you are a citizen 18yrs or over. There have been recent campaigns to encourage more people to make a concious vote rather than a donkey vote etc. The move is that we should take advantage of this situation and have our say. If someone is depressed by this whole "democratic" system what can they do make a donkey vote..vote for the "lesser of two evils" or ? So is American or Australian politics really democratic? What about the parties who go after big votes..votes in favour of big businesses. Does my one vote really count? Democracy? Do we have democracy?
I admit my ignorance and poor capability of researching to aquire much information about the birth of democracy. However i do seriously question those in power at the time who set up this system. Were they really ready to accept opposition? Especially when it was far superior to their own ideas and way of dealing with things? Were the greek lords ever going to be "Democratic" enough to not only listen but seriously consider a common man off the streets opinion and thoughts on political issues? i.e Would a common man be able to speak his mind about it being inhumane to throw men in with lions?
My thoughts on democracy at the moment seem to point to the idea of a tyrant decieving the towns people into thinking they have a worthy say on the way things are run and controlled. I would however like to learn more and hear other peoples opinions on democracy's origins, and its current state in America/ Australia or wherever.
Thanks,
MiCk
Michael william James
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Njaeok
Starlite Member
Username: Njaeok
| | Posted on Friday, March 16, 2007 - 07:32 pm: |
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Well Michael--
One would think that university level political studies would be better informed.
You see my friend, we don't claim to have a "Democracy" in the U.S. We have a Representive Republic that is designed to prevent any one seat of political power from becoming dominate. We have three seats of federal political power two of which are elected by the people of the various states and one of which is appointed by the executive and approved by the legislative. All things not spicifically assigned to the Federal government by the constitution is reserved as the authority of the states most of which have their own seperate three seats of political power and their own seperate constitution. In this finely balanced division of political power a single vote can possibly swing an election from one party to another. A few thousand votes often does decide an election. Follow the money. If votes were not so powerful there would not be millions of dollars spent by the political parties to influence a few votes.
Born with the gift of laughter, aware that the world is mad. -- Jimbo
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Dr_wind
Starlite Member
Username: Dr_wind
| | Posted on Monday, March 19, 2007 - 01:08 am: |
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Disfunctionol is more like it Jimbo...
and then there is the Vedo.... more like Voodoo
oh yeah daddy 
follow the money ROTFLMAO
Let The Ink Flow
For The Love Of It
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Dr_wind
Starlite Member
Username: Dr_wind
| | Posted on Monday, March 19, 2007 - 01:23 am: |
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Mick
Almost all democracies the world has seen have died within 300 years of their founding.
Most implode from within.
The State of America is well lets say this way we have been in better hands...
we do have a write in on our ballots....
Let The Ink Flow
For The Love Of It
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Dr_wind
Starlite Member
Username: Dr_wind
| | Posted on Monday, March 19, 2007 - 01:31 am: |
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Australia believes fiercely in Democracy. Democracy can be incredibly fragile. (Ask the Siamese.) Corrupt or foolish leaders and bureaucrats can remove democratic freedoms and rights, that our forefathers fought and gave their lives for, with the stroke of a pen. That is why it is so precious and must be protected.
In fact our political system is based on the dictum
Let The Ink Flow
For The Love Of It
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Mik3y
Starlite Member
Username: Mik3y
| | Posted on Monday, March 19, 2007 - 01:49 am: |
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It might be worth mentioning that i'm studying "australian Politics" heh but yeah thankyou so much for your comments very informal 
This representative system seems awfully familar when i look at the Australian parliment. First impression at least anyways. When it all comes down to it though state and federal are either one party or the other. Just how much do the two parties in America differ to the two dominant parties in Australia? Is a vote in the U.s a double edged sword also?
Also both systems of government stress the importance of the economy..and even more so now with the move into globalisation. The idea of economy is essentially based around people buying and selling, investing etc. Capitalists societies rely on profit. Everything is tailored to suit this "common" goal. If the majority of people deep down oppose the exploitation of workers etc then are they given an option in the U.s's political system to vote for anything but a pro-capitalist party? Not intending to incite a trendy socialist revolution..but rather commenting on capitalism and our general dislike towards it. Thanks again everyone
-miCk.
Michael william James
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